SAN FRANCISCO (USA Today) — Jesse Jackson is escalating his campaign for more racial and ethnic diversity in Silicon Valley.
The civil rights leader called on technology companies to accelerate hiring of African Americans and Latinos in a letter sent Monday.
“It’s time to take stock of what has been done: what has worked and what hasn’t,” Jackson wrote in the letter that he shared with USA TODAY. “Are the pledges and commitments matching real results? Are any tech companies making a real difference and, if so, how? If not, why not?”
Jackson is asking 27 technology companies from giants such as Apple and Facebook to start-ups such as Airbnb, Dropbox and Uber for more detailed information on diversity, including the release of federal diversity data and of the affirmative action plans that federal contractors must file with the government. Companies are not required to publicly disclose either.